Black History Month 2022: Light at The End of The Tunnel

2 years after the pandemic shook the world, the handed-down values in the African American community become even more appreciated. Black History Month 2022, the best occasion of the year for African-Americans to look back and treasure the achieved success of their community. 

Have no idea about 2022? Relax, don’t be panic, I don't mean to scare you or exaggerate the significance of this anniversary. We have been fighting Covid for 2 years now, Black History Month 2022 will be a great occasion for us to celebrate and return to pre-pandemic life. What is Black History Month and how to celebrate it, you may ask? 

Let’s find out! 

• Black History Month 2022: A Comprehensive American History 
• Black History Week 
• Black History Month 
• Best Ways to Observe Black History Month 2022 
• Join Virtual Celebrations 
• Dig Deep into Black History 
• Visit a Black History Museum 
• Get Black Culture Clothes to Make A Statement 
• Get Involved with Various Black Non-Profit Organizations 
• Wish you a peaceful and meaningful Black History Month 2022 

Black History Month is celebrated every February by African Americans. “February is Black History Month.” Since the 1970s, that familiar proclamation has featured countless celebrations of African-American history and achievements, from the Black History Minutes on local television stations to statements by the president of the United States. But why is February designated as the month of commemoration of African-American history? 

The answer lies in the eminent American historian Carter G. Woodson, who pioneered the field of African American studies in the early 20th century.  

(1923) El Ojo, Institute, West Virginia: Alpha Zeta Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, West Virginia Collegiate Institute, p. 26 of the PDF, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Get inspired by attending the 50th-anniversary celebration. At the three-week national liberation of 1915, Woodson joined four others to form the Association for the Study of African-American Lives and History (ASALH) to encourage scholars to engage in an in-depth study of the Negro Past, a topic long neglected by academia and American schools. Discussing the issue with a group of blacks at the YMCA in Chicago, Woodson convinced the group that black Americans needed an organization that strives for a balanced history. 

In 1916, Woodson began editing the association's main scholarly publication, the Journal of Black History. In 1924, spurred on by Woodson, his college brothers, Omega Psi Phi, introduced Black History and Literature Week. Two years later, Woodson devised a plan for a week of activities and celebrations devoted to black American history.  

Committee witnesses signing by Mayor John F. Collins proclaiming Negro History Week, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

He and ASALH chose the week of February 7, 1926, for First Black History Week because it included the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln (February 12) - the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation that freed many slaves. What's more, this week celebrates the birth of abolitionist and former slave, Frederick Douglass (February 14). 

Woodson hopes that Black History Week will encourage better relations between blacks and whites in the United States and inspire young black Americans to celebrate their achievements and contributions. contributions from their ancestors. In The Mis-Education of Blacks (1933), Woodson lamented,  

"Of the hundreds of black high schools recently inspected by an expert from the United States Bureau of Education, only eighteen were offered a course in the history of black people, and in most black colleges and universities where Black people are thought of, the race is studied only as an issue or is dismissed for little consequence."  

Thanks to Black History Week, the Association for the Study of Black Lives and History began to receive requests for more accessible articles. Thus, in 1937, the organization began publishing the Black History Bulletin aimed at Black teachers who wanted to include Black history in their lessons. 

Black Americans quickly joined Black History Week, and by the 1960s, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, American educators, both white and black, were following the Black history celebration Week. At the same time, mainstream historians began to expand the American history narrative to include Black Americans (as well as women and other groups previously overlooked). In 1976, as the United States was celebrating its biennial, ASALH expanded its traditional weeklong celebration of Black history to a month, and Black History Month was born. 

That same year, President Gerald Ford urged Americans to observe Black History Month, but it was President Carter who officially recognized Black History Month in 1978. With federal government support, the month Black history has become a regular event in American schools. In the opening decade of the 21st century, however, some questioned whether Black History Month should continue, especially after the election of the nation's first Black president, Barack Obama in 2008.  

Photo by Hybrid on Unsplash

For example, in a 2009 article, commentator Byron Williams suggested that Black History Month has become "more cliché, stale, and pedestrian than its aim to be informative and thought-provoking" and serves only to assess "the achievements of African-Americans in American history." 

Woodson will no doubt be pleased by the expansion of the original Black History Week. His goal in creating Black History Week was to highlight the achievements of black Americans alongside those of white Americans. Woodson asserted in The Story of the Negro Retold (1935) that the book "is not so much about black history as it is universal history." 

For Woodson, Black History Week is about teaching the contributions of all Americans and correcting a national historical narrative that he feels is little more than racist propaganda. 

There are several different ways that people can meaningfully celebrate National Black History Month. Try out some of these interesting ideas or come up with some creative ways of your own: 

With the theme of annual updates, ASALH always strives to maintain the core value of Black History Month year after year. Black History Month 2022 theme is "Black Bodies: From Exploitation to Excellence". The form of organization has also been changed to online so that everyone can participate.

Black History Month 2022, ASALH

If Black History Month 2022 is your first, joining ASALH would be a good idea to help you understand what's really going on and how to continue it year after year. 

True to its definition, Black History Month is a time to treasure black history in general and African-American history in particular. Fragments of history have been lost, deleted, and distorted, causing future generations to lose the right to access and boast full history. Give yourself a few topics to explore in Black History Month 2022.

Some suggestions might include learning about how Black people were enslaved in many parts of the world and how they fought for liberation. To name some, the United States Civil War in the 1860s, the world-shaking civil rights movement, the abolishment of slavery in the United Kingdom in 1833, or through other historical events. 

Photo by Unseen Histories on Unsplash

Also, why not devote some time to learning more about the unsung heroes of Black History? Public libraries and bookshops, as well as online repositories and booksellers, are brimming with incredible works of African - American literature, background, and biography. Pick up a book that educates you on a piece of Black history that you were previously unaware of. 

Do a little bit of digging to find out about members of the black community who made an effort to speak up for their people and fight for their rights: Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, etc. these people should be honored during National Black History Month. 

For those looking to get real inspiration from historical events, visiting a museum during Black History Month 2022 is a brilliant idea. After 2 years of the epidemic, America is gradually recovering social connections, this would be a great time to visit a museum that addresses various parts of the history of Black people.

Adam Jones, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

History comes alive in a nation's museums, and many of these institutions have events, conferences, and celebrations surrounding Black History Month. Get out there and see first-hand the American nation's collective historical treasures. Try out some of these excellent museums: 

1. National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee 
2. Whitney Plantation, Wallace, Louisiana 
3. The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration / The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Montgomery, Alabama 
4. The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, Selma, Alabama 
5. The Studio Museum, Harlem, New York 
6. National Museum of African American Music, Nashville, Tennessee 
7. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 
8. National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC 
9. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, Missouri 
10. The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, Houston, Texas 
11. Northwest African American Museum, Seattle, Washington 
12. California African American Museum, Los Angeles 

Can’t get there in person? That’s okay! Many of these places offer a lot of resources online as well. The virtual museum is definitely worth giving a try! 

The amazing US economic recovery in 2021 is a great opportunity to overspend a bit in Black History Month 2022. Why don't you show-off your nature a bit during this time? 

Black Pride, Melaninful

Also, get the word out and show love for these businesses across various social media platforms. Supporting tenacious and passionate black community is one of the best ways to let other get to know your black pride. The meaning of Black history month is to honor and be proud of the achievements of the Black community, 2022 is no exception.  

You can also support black-owned businesses right where you live. Have no idea where to find them? Try Melaninful's Black-owned Business Blogs now. We have a perfect collection of Black-owned tattoo Shops, Black-owned Coffee Shops, Black-owned Bars, etc. for you to visit on Black History Month 2022. 

The contribution of the African-American community around the world not only comes from economic and scientific achievements but above all, efforts to make the world better. One great way to get involved and connected during Black History Month 2022 is to show support to black non-profit organizations.

Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels 

Examples include SisterLove, NAACP, Black Girls Code, Black Lives Matter, The Center for Black Equity, Black PAC (which organizes black voters), and many more. Check with a local chapter of one of these organizations to find out ways it is possible to get involved through volunteering, lending a voice, making a donation, educating others, and much more.

Like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, we are working to maintain the gains that civil rights activists have achieved. Moreover, by inheriting their spirit in the 21st century, we can always do better and better. 

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Now that you have a fairly complete understanding of this month, ready to throw yourself into the knowledge party? In fact, all the values we seek and appreciate are mostly all around us. Don't buy it? 

Pick a nice day, hang out with your family and friends in a Black-owned restaurant, immerse yourself in your community and discuss how happy and proud you are to be with them. Now you definitely know what I mean right? Enjoy it!